Dogwood time

Fragment of the Poem "A Color of the Sky"
by Tony Hoagland,
from What Narcissism Means To Me. © Graywolf Press, 2003.

Outside the youth center, between the liquor store
and the police station,
a little dogwood tree is losing its mind;


















overflowing with blossomfoam,
like a sudsy mug of beer;
like a bride ripping off her clothes,
dropping snow white petals to the ground in clouds,

so Nature's wastefulness seems quietly obscene.
It's been doing that all week:
making beauty,
and throwing it away,
and making more.